Berfoece raphael



No. s21,7|2. Patented Mar. 2,18%. H. J. w. RAPHAEL & .1. WEST.

.OIL LAMP. (Am alication filed Sept. 12, 1898.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY JOSEPH WILBERFORCE RAPHAEL AND JAMES wEST,oF LONDON,

ENGLAND.

OlL-LAMP.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 621,712, dated March 21,1899. Application filed September 12, 1898- Serial No. 690,816. (Nomodel.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, HENRY JOSEPH WIL- BERFOROE RAPHAEL and JAMES WEST,subjects of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Highbury Grove,London, in the county of Middlesex, England, have invented certain newand usefullmprovements in Oil-Lamps; and we do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

This invention relates to oil-lamps, and more especially to lampsburning mineral oil; and it has for its objects improved methods ofconstruction of that kind of lamp in which the oil is automaticallysupplied to the wick or wicks of the lamp from a reservoir below, theoil being raised to a height at which the wick can conveniently absorband use it, as in the case of independent-reservoir lamps, at the sametime drawing the .oil into the space below the piston, subsequentlyforcing the oil gradually up to the level of the wick by the elasticityof the spring. The use of cylinders and pistons with leather or otherflexible packing and fittings is very objectionable,

especially where mineral oil is used. It has also been proposed to useinstead of a cylinder and piston a flexible diaphragm of leather or thelike material; but such diaphragms have not proved effective inpractice.

By the present invention an expanding and collapsing elasticchamberentirely of metal is used as a reservoir for the oil, which whenthe lamp is in operation is forced up by the elasticity of the chamberitself, while a fresh supply of oil is admitted into the chamber whennecessary by the means hereinafter described.

The accompanying drawings are in illustration of the invention.

Figure 1 shows in vertical section the base of a lamp containing theexpanding chamber and the parts connected with it, as well as the lowerend of the wick. Fig. 2 shows a somewhat different construction of theexpanding chamber.

- a is the external base of the lamp. 1) is the expanding metallicchamber, hanging freely in the base a by the pipe 0, through which theoil in the chamber 1) passes up to the wick d.

The chamber 1) consists of a sulficient number of circular chambers,each formed of two corrugated disks of the flexible and elastic metal,attached together at their outer circumference and having centralapertures e, strengthened by external rings or washers by which theadjoining chambers are soldered or brazed together, the lowest or bottomdisk being Without a central opening. The length or height of the pipe 0is determined in the manner hereinafter described, and its upper endterminates in a vessel f, through the bottom of which it is shown risingfor a short distance and serving to keep in position the lower end ofthe tubular wick e of the lamp, which dips into the vessel f, while itsupper end passes to a burner of any of the ordinary well-known kindsfitted with a chimney and globe and means for regulating the height ofthe wick, these parts not being shown in the drawings, as being similarto those ordinarily used in lamps.

When the several chambers constituting the expanding metal chamber. bare filled with oil under pressure, they expand downward until theycontain the required quantity of oil; but when the pressure upon the oilis removed the elasticity of the several corrugated plates-constitutingthe chamber is sufficient to force the oil for a certain height up thetube 0 until the chamber 1) has completely collapsed. We make the lengthor height of the pipe 0, which is connected with the expanding chamberb, such that the elasticity of the latter is sufficient (in contracting)to support a column of oil the top of which is slightly above the upperend of the pipe, as shown at g, the oil overflowing into the chamber f,from which thewick draws its supply. The height of the upper edge of thevessel fabove the top of the pipe 0 is such that if the vessel f isfilled with oil the additional height of the column thus obtained givessufflcient pressure to again expand the chamber '1) and fill it withoil. The action of the lamp is therefore automatic, it being onlynecessary when the lamp requires replenishing with oil to pour the oilinto the vessel f, keepinst-cad of the tubular one shown.

ing the latter filled to a suflicient height to ing connected to thebottom of the expanding chamber at l by a link m. As the chamber becomesexpanded its increasing resistance is balanced by the weighted lever 'h,which takes a more horizontal position, as shown at 72, 7t. i

As already pointed out, the accessories of the 1an1pthe Wick-holder,wick-adjuster, gallery, chimney, and globe-may be of any of the ordinarywell-known kinds, the present invention consisting simply in making thecollapsible chamber b entirely of metal and connecting it with thevesselfby a pipe of such vertical height that when the vessel f is full,or nearly so, the pressure of the column of oil is sufficient to expandthe chamber I], while when the top of the column only reaches to thelevel g above the upper end of the pipe 0 the elastic contraction of thechamber bis just sufficient to force the oil into the vessel f. As theoil is consumed, therefore, a fresh supply is gradually introduced intothe vessel f and supplies the wick as it is needed.

The part of the pipe 0 in the vessel f which serves to guide the wickmay be, omitted or one or more holes may be made into it just above thebottom of the vessel.

The details of the lamp and the materials used may be varied as desired,and it is obvious that one or more flat wicks may be used If the latteris used, provision is made in the usual way for admitting air to itsinterior.

The corrugated disks forming the chamber 79 may be arranged with theirconcentric corrugations parallel to each other, as shown in Fig. 2,instead of opposite, as shown in Fig. 1. The disks forming the chambermay be arranged vertically instead of horizontally.

Having fully described our invention, What we desire to claim and secureby Letters Pat: cut is- 1. In oil-lamps, the combination of an expandingand collapsing chamber 1), entirely of metal, consisting of a series ofelastic corrugated metal disks, with an upper vessel f, into which thewick of the lamp dips, the chamber b and the vessel f being connected bya pipe 0 of such length that when the vessel f is filled with oil itspressure is sufficient to expand the chamber 1), while as the oil in thechamberfis consumed to about the level g the elastic contraction of thechamberis sufficient to force .the oil through the pipe 0 into thevesself and retain it at about the same level, substantially as setforth.

2. The combination with the elastic metal disks closed at their edges,thereby forming an expanding and collapsing chamber 1) and pipe 0, 0fthe weightedlever h, arm is, and link 7t, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto atfixed our signatures in presenceof two witnesses.

HENRY JOSEPH WILBERFOROE RAPHAEL. JAMES WEST. \Vitnesses:

EDMUND EDWARDS, ARTHUR E. EDWARDS.

